Fortress of the 98th Army of Æonos

Designer: Arlaman Azontomei.

Location: The Fortress of the 98th is located in the very center of the city Hesycon on the planet Æonos. Hesycon sits in the midst of vast plains, known as the Golden Plains which are surrounded by the Blue Mountains. The Golden Plains are made up of a gold-colored, highly reflective material that shines so brilliantly as to make looking down at it without protection both difficult and (for humans, at least) dangerous. The plains are also dusty, and when ground troops travel to and from Hesycon, they kick up a lot of dust. The Blue Mountains are also named because of their peculiar blue hue.

Description: The city Hesycon is an average Æonic city, built anciently and composed mostly of domed structures. The domes are colored in myriad hues though the dominant color is silver. Its streets are paved with the same reflective material of the plain and hence appear to be made of gold. There are transport stations and interplanetary landing bays, etc., just like every other Æonic city.

The Fortress proper was not constructed at the same time as the city, nor by the same architect. It was designed by Azontomei at the time of his appointment to the rank of Arlaman and was built by his newly assembled Army. It is fairly new (by Æonic standards) compared to the ancient city it resides in.

When seen from a distance, the Fortress appears to be a mountain, however, as one approaches the structure, its very angular surfaces reveal it to be made by something other than nature. The Fortress is very high. It is easily 12 times the height of the tallest building of Hesycon and, in fact, when viewed from the ground below, its upper portions cannot be seen, being continually obscured by clouds. The perpetual cloud cover is not a natural occurrence, but a manifestation of the climate control technology of the Æonans. Azontomei, for some reason, desires this cloud cover and Æonic technology keeps the nebulous mass hovering around the upper middle portion of the Fortress. The upper portion, however, is always free from clouds, again due to climate control.

At the portion covered by clouds, the mountainous fortress splits into two spires called The Tower of the Arlaman and The Tower of the Delaman. Connecting both towers (above the clouds) is a bridge.

Arlaman Azontomei and Delaman Terrifax (both of the 98th) are in the habit of visiting each other upon this bridge and looking down at the city below as they converse. The bridge has a climate control mechanism that activates when one of them is present which causes a portion of the cloud to disperse, allowing them a view of the city below.

At the base of the mountain fortress are massive openings for ground troops to enter into, but also there are other openings, up and down the face of its outer walls, where flyers (Replicators who have Replica Modes of flying vehicles) can enter. These other openings are hangar bays. At certain intervals are still other openings, where Class A weapons are located. Class A nuclear cannons, resonant cannons, laser cannons, etc., are all pointed outward. Class A weapons are built so that the largest Replicators, 36 footers, can operate them while sitting inside of the weapon. These weapons swivel upon a base. Their lengths are easily five or six times the height of a 36 footer. They swivel up and down, left and right, etc. However, seen from outside the Fortress, only their nozzles (barrels) can be seen.

The Fortress is a dull black color. It uses transports, large and small, which enter the giant hangar bays (which from a distance look small but when you get close they engulf the very largest transports) and also utilizes a starship which can carry, literally, all 1 billion soldiers. This starship is located on a launching pad attached to the outside of a wall of the Fortress, about midway from the top and bottom of the structure. The very top of the starship barely enters the lower edge of the cloud.

Unlike other fortresses, the Fortress of the 98th does not use any kind of energy shielding. When defending itself against attack, it relies upon its thick walls for protection. Once all entrances are closed (including the starship and launching pad which can recede into the fortress) it is virtually impregnable, despite use of Class A weaponry. Its high altitude and outward pointed weapons can knock starships right out of orbit. Also, the immense climate control machinery located inside, along with its energium generators, make it virtually inaccessible from the surrounding area and capable of substaining the lifeforms within indefinitely. With the "flip of a switch", the Fortress can cause storms to appear that make Jupiter's Great Spot seem like a drizzle of rain.